File photoMUMBAI: Around 16,000 old buildings here are in a dilapidated condition but have yet to be completely vacated by residents. People prefer to risk their lives in buildings that may fall any time, rather than move far from where they have lived for years, and where they feel they may never be able to return in their lifetime. Many residents do not vacate even after receiving notices.

Most dilapidated buildings are in Byculla, Girgaum, Sewri, Parel, Mumbai Central, Nagpada, Bhendi Bazaar, Mohammed Ali Road and Crawford Market. Around 1,000 dilapidated buildings have been repaired by Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (Mhada) and 3,000 have been repaired by their owners in a decade.

The 80-year-old Sugrabai building in Bhendi Bazaar, which has planned redevelopment, is temporarily getting repaired. Shirin Khan, a resident, said they are living in grave conditions, with leakage problems during the monsoon. Another resident said they have not vacated the building as there was no guarantee of coming back. “The process of redevelopment is too lengthy and takes years. We have seen people leave houses and not get their redeveloped houses. So it is better to stay back,” he said.

Narayan Galave, a resident of Wakdi Chawl in Sewri, which has been declared dilapidated, said he does not believe developers. “I know residents of a building nearby who vacated it 20 years ago and are yet to come back. So I don’t believe that I will be able to come here again, that’s why I am staying in this building,” said Galave.

In the vicinity, the over 90-year-old ground-plus-three Pradhan and Nandvilas buildings are occupied despite being dangerous to live in. Residents were not willing to speak after the Husaini building collapse.

Meanwhile, minister of state for housing Ravindra Waikar has written to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis about dilapidated buildings. He demanded that tenants be given 320 sq ft houses instead of 269 sq ft. “I have demanded that a condition be put on the landlord of a dilapidated building to go in for redevelopment within three months. If he does not, tenants should have right to develop the building by appointing a developer. But 10-20% share of profit should be given to the landlord or owner of the building so that it will not be injustice to him,” said Waikar.

He said, “The third option would be for Mhada to take over the building and redevelop it; a 10-20 % share should be given to the owner after allotting 320 sq ft houses to original tenants,” the minister said.

Local MLA Amin Patel mooted transit camps on nearby mill land so that locals need not be shifted to Mankhurd or beyond Malad. He added, “People fear that they will not come back to their original homes once they leave and go to transit camps in the suburbs.”

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